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Rusty Golden State Warriors ice cold in blowout loss to Lakers

By Peter O'Keefe

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 23: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on February 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - FEBRUARY 23: D'Angelo Russell #1 of the Los Angeles Lakers controls the ball against Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Crypto.com Arena on February 23, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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Whatever the Golden State Warriors did to prepare themselves for the resumption of their season, it failed to pay dividends as their road woes continued against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.

It was the same tale that’s plagued the Warriors in recent times — a competitive first-half before going ice cold for much of the second. Despite holding LeBron James and Anthony Davis to a combined 25 points, the Lakers’ role players got a hold of the game in what’s been a worrying trend for the reigning champions this season.

A rusty and lethargic Golden State Warriors trailed from wire-to-wire in a 124-111 to the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena.

Los Angeles finished the first-quarter on a 7-0 run over the final 90 seconds to take a 31-23 lead after 12 minutes. The momentum continued for most of the second-quarter before the uninspiring Golden State offense found some life, with Steve Kerr’s men closing the half on an 18-8 run to cut the deficit to three.

Klay Thompson (15) and Jordan Poole (13) combined for exactly half the Warriors’ points, underlining their importance in the absence of star duo Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.

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The Laker lead quickly ballooned again early in the third though, with the hosts bursting out of the blocks with a 20-7 run in the opening six minutes. Despite a small period of Warrior resistance, the game blew alarmingly out of control by the early minutes of the fourth.

With the Houston Rockets visiting Chase Center on Friday for the second night of a back-to-back, Kerr pulled the plug early by turning to a garbage time unit with over nine minutes left in the game. At that point the Lakers had opened up an astounding 28-point lead, doing so without any major input from their star duo, along with new recruit D’Angelo Russell who had left the game early with an ankle injury.

Patrick Baldwin Jr. (11 points) and Moses Moody (eight points) brought some life and respectability to the scoreboard, yet it was never going to gloss over a rather appalling first-up performance after the break.

The Golden State starters combined to shoot 20-for-61 (32.8%) from the floor. They shot just 38.1% from the field and 28.6% from three-point range as a team, while the Lakers rained down triples at will going 16-for-30 (53.3%) from deep. Golden State had seven more offensive rebounds and four less turnovers, but failed to make them count in a display unbefitting to a team that should have been mentally and physically refreshed.

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They’ll have to regroup quickly as they head home to face the Rockets in what’s simply a must-win match. A loss to the league’s worst team could prove a nail in the coffin of this continually worsening Warriors season.

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